1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing system, a digital camera and an image memory apparatus for storing image data taken with the digital camera and a print data file of such image data and effecting image processing by analyzing such print data file, a data processing method for the image processing system, and a memory medium storing a computer readable program for such system.
2. Related Background Art
The image format processed in such conventional image processing system only contains the image size, resolution information and image preparation date of the image data, and, in case of printing the image data of the digital camera through a personal computer, the user is required to effect the printing by confirming the image on an application and setting the resolution, layout and number of prints.
On the other hand, with the spreading of digital cameras, there are increasing so-called digital laboratories which provide image output service on the received image data, in order to enable the use of digital camera by the non-users of personal computers.
In the print service of the conventional silver halide-based photography system, it has been necessary to develop all the images within a film and to print all the images for the purpose of confirmation. On the other hand, in the digital camera, it is possible to confirm the image immediately after image taking, so that it is possible to only print the necessary images.
However the image data selected by the user have to be managed by the user himself, and the image number to be printed, output size, number of outputs and layout information have to be recorded or memorized and instructed to the digital laboratory.
The present invention is intended to solve the drawbacks mentioned in the foregoing, and the object thereof is to provide an image memory apparatus, a digital camera and an image processing system capable, in storing image data in a memory medium, of managing a print format for the image data by storage in the same memory medium, and, in reading the image data managed by the memory medium, executing a predetermined image processing on the taken image data for the print process according to the print format, thus to enable unified management on the image data and the print format corresponding thereto which have been independently managed, thereby alleviating the burden of print format setting for the taken and stored image data, freely allowing variation or correction of the content of the set print format and easily and securely obtaining the print result intended by the user from the image output device, and a data processing method and a memory medium, storing a computer readable program, for use in such image processing system.
In a first aspect in the present invention, there is provided a memory medium capable of storing a plurality of print formats to be set in a predetermined printing device, together with input image data.
In a second aspect in the present invention, the area for storing the print format is secured within each image data storage area in the memory medium.
In a third aspect in the present invention, the area for storing the print format is secured outside each image data storage area in the memory medium.
In a fourth aspect in the present invention, the print format includes vertical/horizontal information of the taken image data, image output size information, image output number information and layout information.
In a fifth aspect in the present invention, there are provided an image taking unit for outputting image data by taking the image of an object, a memory medium capable of storing a plurality of print formats to be set in a predetermined print device together with the image data outputted from the image taking unit, and communication means capable of communicating with an external output apparatus thereby transferring the image data and the print formats stored in the memory medium to the external output apparatus.
In a sixth aspect in the present invention, the area storing the print formats is secured in each image data storage area in the memory medium.
In a seventh aspect in the present invention, the area storing the print formats is secured in an area different from the image data storage area in the memory medium.
In an eighth aspect in the present invention, there are provided display means for displaying the taken image data, first designation means for designating a confirmation mode for confirming the print format stored in the memory medium, and control means for causing the display means to display the stored print formats when the confirmation mode is designated by the first designation means.
In a ninth aspect in the present invention, there are provided second designation means for designating a format mode for setting the print format for each image data stored in the memory medium, and format setting means for setting, in the memory medium, a desired print format entered for each image data when the format mode is designated by the second designation means.
In a tenth aspect in the present invention, there is provided detection means for detecting whether a camera unit is in a vertical state or in a horizontal state in the image taking state, and the format setting means is adapted to automatically set the vertical/horizontal information of the taken image data in the print format in the memory medium, based on the positional state detected by the detection means.
In an eleventh aspect in the present invention, there are provided a digital camera including an image taking unit for outputting image data by taking the image of an object, a memory medium capable of storing a plurality of print formats to be set in a predetermined print device, and first communication means capable of communicating with an image output apparatus for transferring the image data and the print formats stored in the memory medium to the image output apparatus; and an image output apparatus including second communication means capable of communicating with the digital camera, image process means for analyzing the image data and the print format thereof stored in the memory medium of the digital camera and received through the first and second communication means and applying predetermined image processing on the image data thereby generating print data, and print means for printing the print data generated by the image process means.
In a twelfth aspect in the present invention, there is provided a data processing method for use in an image processing system in which a digital camera provided with an image memory and an image output apparatus can communicate through a predetermined communication medium, wherein the method comprises a setting step of setting a desired print format for the image output apparatus, for the image data taken by the digital camera and stored in the image memory, and a writing step of writing the desired print format set by the setting step in the image memory.
In a thirteenth aspect in the present invention, the above mentioned setting step is adapted to set, as the desired print format for the image output apparatus, vertical/horizontal information of the taken image data, image output size information, image output number information and layout information.
In a fourteenth aspect in the present invention, there is provided a data processing method for use in an image processing system in which a digital camera provided with an image memory and an image output apparatus can communicate through a predetermined communication medium, wherein the method comprises an acquisition step of acquiring the image data and the desired print format stored in the image memory, an image processing step of analyzing the image data and the desired print format acquired in the acquisition step thereby generating print data with a layout, and a printing step of printing the print data, generated by the image processing step, on a recording medium.
In a fifteenth aspect in the present invention, there is provided a memory medium storing a computer readable program for controlling an image processing system in which a digital camera provided with an image memory and an image output apparatus can communicate through a predetermined communication medium, wherein the program comprises a setting step of setting a desired print format for the image output apparatus, for the image data taken by the digital camera and stored in the image memory, and a writing step of writing the desired print format set by the setting step in the image memory.
In a sixteenth aspect in the present invention, the above-mentioned setting step is adapted to set, as the desired print format for the image output apparatus, vertical/horizontal information of the taken image data, image output size information, image output number information and layout information.
In a seventeenth aspect in the present invention, there is provided a memory medium storing a computer readable program for controlling an image processing system in which a digital camera provided with an image memory and an image output apparatus can communicate through a predetermined communication medium, wherein the program comprises an acquisition step of acquiring the image data and the desired print format stored in the image memory, an image processing step of analyzing the image data and the desired print format acquired in the acquisition step thereby generating print data with a layout, and a printing step of printing the print data, generated by the image processing step, on a recording medium.